In a heartbreaking development following catastrophic landslides in New Zealand, authorities have confirmed that none of the six individuals still missing after the disaster are expected to be found alive. The tragic incident unfolded at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on the North Island, where record-breaking rainfall on Thursday triggered a series of devastating slips.
From Rescue to Recovery: A Devastating Transition
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson has announced that rescue efforts have now formally transitioned to a recovery operation. "The likelihood of someone being alive is highly unlikely according to the experts, but you could never rule that out," Superintendent Anderson stated solemnly. He explained that search teams had been working meticulously through the slip layer by layer, but the grim reality has become apparent that survivors will not be found.
"This is heartbreaking news for the families and the dozens of people who have been working day and night, hoping for a positive outcome," Anderson added in an official statement. The affected families have been notified of this devastating development and are being offered comprehensive support during this unimaginably difficult time.
The Missing: Names and Stories Behind the Tragedy
Among the six people still unaccounted for are two 15-year-old students from Pakūranga College in east Auckland: Max Furse-Kee and Sharon Maccanico. The other missing individuals include Lisa Anne Maclennan, aged 50, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, and two 71-year-old women, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler and Susan Doreen Knowles.
The mother of Max Furse-Kee shared her anguish publicly, telling the New Zealand Herald: "Devastatingly my Max was one of the people trapped in the Mt Maunganui slip on Thursday morning. While he is still missing and we have no definite answers we know that when we do there will be no good news." Her poignant message concluded with a universal warning: "Hug your babies, life can change in a moment."
Search Challenges and Ongoing Operations
Rescue crews initially reported hearing voices coming from under the rubble on the day of the landslide, but no further sounds have been detected since. Human remains have been discovered by search teams who continue to examine several impacted locations around Mount Maunganui, near the city of Tauranga.
The recovery operation faces significant challenges, with thirty-five emergency workers operating heavy machinery to remove debris from a section where another partial slip occurred on Saturday. The area is being continuously reassessed to ensure worker safety before any search efforts can resume.
Compounding these difficulties, more rain is forecast to pummel the area over the weekend, potentially forcing recovery crews to withdraw from the slip area if conditions become too hazardous.
National Mourning and Community Response
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the disaster site on Friday and expressed the nation's collective grief. "To the families who have lost loved ones - every New Zealander is grieving with you," he stated. "They are grieving incredibly hard, and I know that New Zealand grieves with them."
The local community has begun responding to the tragedy, with children and residents forming a makeshift vigil near the landslide site in Mount Maunganui. Tributes have started flowing in as the region comes to terms with the scale of the disaster.
In a separate but related incident, two other individuals lost their lives after a landslip completely destroyed a Welcome Bay home in the Bay of Plenty region, approximately 100 kilometers east of Hamilton. This additional tragedy underscores the widespread impact of the extreme weather conditions that have battered New Zealand's North Island.
As recovery operations continue under difficult conditions, the nation mourns the lives lost and potentially lost in one of New Zealand's most devastating landslide events in recent memory.
